The MSPmentor team spent this week in Boston and Albany. Next up, we're heading to Oracle OpenWorld and GFI Software's MSP conference in Las Vegas. But before we look ahead, let's look back on seven managed services provider (MSP) blogs and news stories that we didn't have a chance to write for the week ending Sept. 20, 2013.

7. IT Nation VIPs: Let's say you're a ConnectWise partner. Attend the IT Nation conference and you'll get full access to the community you know and understand. Let's assume you're not a ConnectWise partner. A few of you could be granted free VIP access to a custom-tailored agenda at the conference, to give you a flavor for the community. I think it's a bit like getting a tour under Disney World without actually being "part" of the Disney cast. I'll share more details later.

6. Continuum Hires Chief Marketing Officer: In addition to recruiting a CMO who made her mark at Hubspot, Continuum has some growth milestones to share. We'll offer some key insights from the leadership team within a few days.

5. Carbonite Goes Hybrid Cloud: The cloud-based backup provider is preparing to launch an on-premises appliance for VARs. More insights soon, likely on The VAR Guy.

4. Managed Security Services:LogRhythm has hired Nancy Reynolds as the security company's channel chief. You can bet some more surprises (some designed for MSPs) are coming really, really, really soon (no joke).

3. Responsible Growth:Autotask CEO Mark Cattini offered MSPmentor some updated growth and business milestones. He didn't share exact numbers or figures, but I did some creative math that may pinpoint the company's overall financial target for 2013. I'll share that math once I hit some other deadlines.

2. HIPAA Omnibus: The backup and disaster recovery world continues to talk more and more about the HIPAA Omnibus deadline, which is Monday, Sept. 23. This calls for yet another blog on the topic really soon.

1. Here Comes Amazon: The cloud giant has been hiring executives and team members to engage MSPs. If we nail down some sourcing, MSPmentor will bring you the bigger story.